The Origin of Black Tiger
by Burke23
Summary: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE OR THE LYRICS TO ANY MUSIC POSTED (THIS IS NOT A MUSICAL), THE RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR PERSPECTIVE OWNERS. THIS IS MY FIRST UPLOAD, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.
1. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE OR THE LYRICS TO ANY MUSIC POSTED (THIS IS NOT A MUSICAL), THE RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR PERSPECTIVE OWNERS. THIS IS MY FIRST UPLOAD, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.**

Chapter 1: Origins

I was just an average student until that day in Oscorp. I have always attracted cats, but I did not know that it would lead to me becoming a great superhero. The day started like it normally did, I was shoved into a trash can, Flash Thomson stole my lunch and my lunch money, and I got an A in every class; the usual business. Then we went on a field trip to Oscorp were they have been making new advancements in genetically engineered domestic felines. Why they have to make a genetically-engineered-anything for every year they have been functioning. I mean really, first there were spiders, and then there were eels, hundreds of numerous creatures in between, and now cats. Weird, anyway, after the field trip I decided to walk to my house when I saw a small, black cat coming after me. I checked its' collar and realized that it belonged to Oscorp, that should have been my first clue, I went to grab it and it tried to claw my face off and it ran away. I got very drowsy and stumbled into an alleyway, then a gang ganged up on my and wanted my money. Then I started to transform, my nails became claws, my canines elongated, hair started to grow all over my body, etc. I became a cat-man. I could have ripped them apart with my bare hands, or should I say 'cat' hands, but I ran away. In total, I caused one eight car pileup, two four car pileups, and one huge crowd of scared people. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, maybe cat-like reflexes, but it all happened in the course of a few minutes. I was an unstoppable brute. I climbed a tall building and stopped at the top, and then I cooled down, and cried.

Then Spider-man came from below and landed in front of me. "Go ahead," I said in a deep voice, "turn me into the police, I don't belong anywhere else anyway."

"That's not true," he said in a regular voice, "there are plenty of jobs that need cat-people."

"Do you have any idea what it is like being alone?" I asked still crying, "I can't go home, I can't go back to school, I can't even show my face in public again."

Spider-man tried to console me by saying "Let me help."

"Leave me alone!" I yelled. With that I jumped off of the roof, landed on my feet.

Night came soon afterward, joining Spider-man in the chase were his four teammates; Nova, Power Man, Iron Fist, and White Tiger. They attacked me one by one, they were easily knocked down.

"You're home again, glad you kept the key…" a nearby radio played Fallen Angel. I found my way to the radio and started to sway with the music. The world grew around me, I realized that I was shrinking down to human size, but I was still covered in black fur.

"We've got him now!" Nova said as he aimed his fist.

"No," Spider-man said "this is Hulk Logic 101: if he is calm, he may not attack you. Keep your distance, though."

Everyone took two steps back, except for White Tiger, whom I sensed a connection with, maybe it was because she had cat powers too.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"A freak." My voice was normal.

"You're not a freak." She said.

"How many furry people have you met personally?" I asked.

"Wolverine, Werewolf by Night, Man-wolf, Kraven…" Spider-man listed.

"Point taken," I interrupted "now I'll leave." I jumped to the top of the nearest building.

"I've got him." Tiger said. She jumped up after me and chased me through the city. I had stopped at the same roof that I was on earlier.

"Why did you run." She asked.

"To distance myself from people who want to hurt me." I said.

"We wouldn't…" Tiger started.

"Not you," I emphasized the 'you', "them." I pointed to the street. "The people who think that 'people' are people who look like them," I gestured to my face "this… is not normal."

I sat down and sang to myself, "Ooh, ooh. Ah, Rag doll ooh, ooh. Rag doll, ooh. (Hand me down) When she was just a kid her clothes were hand-me-downs, (Hand me down) they always laughed at her when she came into town. Called her 'Rag Doll' 'Little Rag Doll.' Such a pretty face should be dressed in lace. Ooh, ooh. Ah, Rag doll ooh, ooh. Rag doll, ooh. (Shag rag doll) I'd change her sad rags into glad rags if I could, (If I could) my folks won't let me cause they say that she's no good. She's a rag doll, Such a rag doll. Though I love her so I can't let her know. Ooh, ooh. Ah, Rag doll. I love you just the way you are. Oh, Rag Doll, ooh. Oh, Rag Doll, ooh."

I lifted my head, and White Tiger was gone.

The next morning, I woke up on the roof. All I wanted to do was try to wake up and find out that I am normal again. I went to an alley where I found some old clothes, and put them on.

I went back to the rooftop where I found White Tiger waiting for me, "Why are you here?" I asked.

"I'll ask the questions," she pointed a thumb at herself "I have better things to do on my Saturday off."

I sat down, "Let's begin."

"Where did you come from?" she asked. I told her about how I got covered in black fur.

"This sounds too familiar." She said to herself. She looked at me "Do you have any unique abilities."

"I've noticed that I have cat powers and super-senses." I heard her heart skip a beat "I can even hear your heart beating."

"You can?" she asked.

"If I concentrate." I said.

"Anything that you want to ask me?" she asked.

"Are you covered in fur?" I asked.

"No." she answered quickly.

"OH COME ON!" I yelled "There has to be somebody who knows what I'm going through."

I heard the thumping of a helicopter coming closer and closer. "You should go." I told White Tiger.

"I'm not finished yet." She said.

The helicopter came into view, the words 'NEW YORK CIRCUS' painted on the side. I pushed her down as an electric net fired at me and knocked me out.

I woke up in a circus cage with an electric collar around my neck. A man with blond hair beat my cage with an electric pole.

"Get up, you cat-astrophe," oh, that was a low blow "it's time for practice for tomorrow's show."

**P.S.-I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ADD NEW CHAPTERS, I'D LIKE SOME HELP WITH THAT.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE OR THE LYRICS TO ANY MUSIC POSTED (THIS IS NOT A MUSICAL), THE RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR PERSPECTIVE OWNERS. I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT ALL OF THE CHAPTERS INTO ONE DOCUMENT... THIS METHOD WILL WORK FOR NOW.**

"Get up, you cat-astrophe," oh, that was a low blow "it's time for practice for tomorrow's show."

++MEANWHILE, IN THE HELICARRIER++

"We need to find him." White Tiger said to the group.

"Why should we care about a random cat-man?" Nova asked.

"I'm betting it is more important that we catch the kidnappers." Power-man had his feet on the table. He did not know it, but he saved White Tiger from an explanation.

"The desperation of the villainous can bring them to the light." Iron Fist said.

"Where would we start looking?" Nova asked

The door rose, revealing Spider-man with a piece of paper folded into an airplane. "I have the solution!" he said in an overly dramatic voice. He tossed the paper airplane at White Tiger. She caught the airplane and unfolded it. She read aloud:

"NEW YORK CIRCUS (Now with a new, never-before-seen attraction): Friday through Sunday. (Couples Night- Sunday couples get in for free.)"

"Tomorrow." Power-man took his feet off of the counter.

"You could say that it is the purr-fect opportunity to take back our cat-man." Nova said as everyone starred at him.

"Really?" White Tiger asked.

"Tiger," Spider-man pointed "you and I will go in disguise and infiltrate the circus; we will find this cat-man, watch the show, and release him before you can quote the Constitution in Latin."

++THE NEXT DAY, AT THE CIRCUS++

I sat in my cage, I was on in five minutes. Two people cane toward my cage.

"Is that him?" the man asked.

"Yes it is." The woman said.

I growled at them.

"He looks worse than I thought." She pointed to the burn marks on my back.

I stuck my hand through the bars and reached for them. She grabbed my hand, we will get you help after the circus is over."

"I am a monster," I said "I don't know you and you don't know me. How can I trust you?"

"You can trust us." He said.

"I'm a freak." I said sliding my head next to a bar on the cage.

"I told you he wouldn't go for it." He said as he started to leave.

"Wait," she said, she leaned in close to my ear and sang softly: "I love you just the way you are."

"White Tiger?" I whispered.

"Yes." She whispered back.

"After the show, they will bring me back here for transport," I said "please be here."

"We will." She said.

++AN HOUR LATER, IN THE STANDS++

"If he's going to be in the show," White Tiger said "this will be the time." She was not wearing her outfit.

"Why are we waiting until after the show to get this cat-man?" Spider-man said. He also was not in his outfit.

"The crowd leaving the tent will be our cover to help him escape," she started "there will be no one to guard him if the guards are controlling the crowd."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the ringmaster said "put your hands together for the one, the only, the feline felon, our latest attraction… the Black Tiger."

The audience clapped as the curtains opened.

"That saves us the trouble of having to name him." Spider-man said.

++MEANWHILE, ON THE GROUND FLOOR++

"Forward." A guard said as he zapped me with an electric staff.

I hissed in pain and walked forward. The crowd awed at my appearance. I made my way toward the center ring.

"Is there anything you would like to say to the crowd?" he held the microphone to my mouth.

"I hope at least one of you in the audience is recording this," I said "because PETA will sue the pants off of you, ringmaster." Another zap from the staff made the women in the audience scream.

"We will now begin." He said.

Some assistants brought out a wooden pole, three inches wide. I sliced it to pieces. The audience clapped and cheered. Next, the hollow pipe… same outcome.

Several tricks later, and he said, "And now, it is time for the transformation."

They intensified the number of zaps given, making me angrier and angrier. Eventually, I became a human seized black tiger. After ten seconds, they injected me with a high powered tranquilizer that made me humanoid again.

"That is it for our show tonight," the ringmaster said "we would like to thank you for your time, and I hope you have a pleasant evening."

++BACK IN THE STANDS++

"Time to go to work." White Tiger said.

White Tiger and Spider-man found their way around the crowd and made their way to the cages.

"Hello," Spider-man said "Mr. Security Guard. My, ehem, girlfriend and I would like to see this 'Black Tiger'. She has a thing for tigers."

"Sorry," the guard let his guard down for a split second "you can't see it right now."

"He's a person!" White Tiger kicked him across the face, knocking him out.

Spider-man looted the guard, "I've got his keys."

"Unlock the door." White Tiger told him.

He did, and the cage door creaked open. "He's still unconscious," she said pulling the dead wait out of the cage. She took the liberty to rip off the electric collar.

"I've got this." Spider-man said as he picked up the Black Tiger.

++IN A RANDOM ALLEY, OUTSIDE THE CIRCUS++

Spider-man was carrying my over his shoulder. "Who are you people?" I asked.

"I'm Peter Parker." He said.

"I'm Ava Ayala." She said.

Peter activated his wrist watch. "Beam us up, Agent Coulson."

A bright light surrounded us, I looked up and saw the Helicarrier.

"That isn't the Enterprise." I said before I was transported to the medical bay.


	3. Chapter 3

**SORRY, I FORGOT TO LABEL THE LAST CHAPTER (CHAPTER 2: ESCAPE FROM THE CIRCUS). AND I ALSO FIGURED OUT HOW TO UPLOAD NEW CHAPTERS. THANKS YOUTUBE. BTW, I NEED REVIEWS, OR ELSE I THINK THAT I'M DOING THIS FOR NOTHING. ALSO, THERE IS A LOVE TRIANGLE THAT I NEED RESOLVED: SPIDER-MAN/ WHITE TIGER, OR BLACK TIGER/ WHITE TIGER. I WILL COUNT THE VOTES ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2014.**

Chapter 3: Life on the Helicarrier

"That isn't the Enterprise." I said before I was transported to the medical bay.

++ONBOARD THE HELLICARRIER++

"I wonder who he is?" Ava asked looking at Black Tiger through a small window in the medical bay.

"I'd like to know his back-story." Peter said.

"It's basically your back-story, but replace the word 'spider' with the word 'cat'." Ava replied.

"Sounds too complicated," he said "I might just ask him later."

The doctor stepped out of the room, "Okay," he said "he should be fine, the tranquilizer we gave him will keep him under for a few more hours."

"What is the extent of his injuries?" Peter asked.

"There are multiple burn marks on his back and neck, most likely from the multiple electrocutions he suffered while in the circus. He seems to be healing relatively fast. The fur on his back is starting to grow back."

Peter chucked, "Rhyme."

"Saying the same word twice," Ava rolled her eyes "does not count as a rhyme."

"In any case," the doctor continued "I will inform Fury that we have a temporary guest that will be staying with us for the next couple of months."

++SEVERAL HOURS LATER, IN THE MEDICAL BAY++

I sat straight un in a bed in a large, white room. Some clothes were next to me on the tray-table; including a black trench coat, a black hat, a black shirt, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black (custom leather) shoes.

"Do they think that I'm Johnny Cash?" I asked aloud.

"I figured that would fit the 'Black Tiger' vibe." A man with an eye patch stood behind me.

I turned around quickly, "Did you just say 'vibe'?" I asked.

He ignored the question, "Come with me," he said "I will show you to your room."

"My mother always told me not to take advice from strangers." I said.

"Smart woman," he extended his hand "I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

I shook his hand, "Some people call me the space cowboy…"

"Finish that sentence and I'll kick you off the Helicarrier." He said.

"Sorry." I said.

Later he lead me to my room, it had a single queen seized bed, a bed stand, an alarm clock, a dresser, and a private bathroom with a shower.

"Wow," I said "if I didn't know any better, I'd say that this was a hotel room."

"That was the goal," he said "this is your room, do with it as you please. If you need anything, Spider-man's team is in the next hall over. However, Spider-man lives in his own home."

"Thanks for this." I said.

"Don't thank me before your first training session." He smiled as the door closed upward.

"Training session," I asked myself "what did he mean by that?"

I stepped in the shower and got the smell of straw and singed fur off of my body. After that I went to sleep.

I dreamt that I was flying through a lightning storm, faint flashes of my family and friends flowed through the lightning. Faint voices could be heard. _'Sick freak.' 'Stay away from me.' 'You are not my family anymore.' 'Love you? I can't even look at you.'_

Eventually, the voices stopped coming one at a time, they came at me all at once. The lightning came more frequently. I covered my ears, "Make the voices stop!" I yelled.

I sat up drenched in sweat. I checked the alarm clock, "2:30 A.M.?" I asked aloud.

I got up and went to the shower. I didn't clean myself though I just sat down and sang: "You're home again, glad you kept the key. Been waiting here, seems a million years to me. But hush now, I know you're all cried out. It's alright, inside I've had no doubt about your love for me. I can see behind the tears. I'm certain of the way we feel, and given time the hurt will heal. You're home again, so won't you close the door. Stay here with me, and we'll forget what's gone before. Just hold me tight, our love is gonna make it right. Put shadows way beyond recall, the ghost is almost gone. Fallen angel, I'll forgive you for anything. You can't help the things you do, now something's gotten hold of you. Fallen angel, you've got a demon in your soul. And later when the fever's gone, I'll be right where you belong."

++THE NEXT DAY++

Ava woke up and got ready for the day.

"Why can't I stop thinking about Black Tiger?" she asked herself. "Is it because I sympathies with him, that I know what he's going through, or… is it something more? I know about my feelings for Peter, is this something different"

She liked him, but she didn't want to admit it.

++MEANWHILE, IN BLACK TIGER'S ROOM++

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, "Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, to you." I sang to myself.

I thought about White Tiger, other than our names (which are complete opposites) we are alike in many ways.

"Snap out of it," I told myself "she's out of my league. She's probably rather be with someone like Spider-man, not some random cat-man."

I got dressed in the full outfit and stepped outside.

I found a note on the floor: "Here is a map of the Helicarrier, we're having breakfast at 7:30. W.T."

"Hmm," I said "maybe she does like me."

"No," I told myself "she likes Peter. Why else would she go with him on Couples Night?"

I made my way to the kitchen, the group was eating breakfast, unmasked. They just stared at me as I looked in a cabinet, grabbed some Honey Bunches of Oats, a bowl, a spoon, some milk, and made myself a bowl of cereal.

"So," the short one sat next to me "what's a circus freak like, oof…" his sentence was cut short by my fist hitting him in the face.

"I'm not very talkative in the morning." I said.

The short one rubbed his head, "Noted."

++IN THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN++

Ava yawned as Black Tiger bumped her shoulder as he passed.

"What's his problem?" Ava asked Nova.

"He doesn't like to talk in the morning." Nova said rubbing his cheek.

"Really," she said "anyway, does anyone know if there are any leads on why the circus randomly kidnapped Black Tiger?"

"Fury is supposed to look into it," Power-man said "until then we can forget about it."

"I can take a wild guess," everyone looked at Nova when he said that "he looks like the Wolf-man of Mexico. Maybe they thought that he'd make a good attraction."

"We'd better hurry if we're going to get to school on time." White tiger changed the topic.

++LATER, IN BLACK TIGER'S ROOM++

"That was a good bowl of cereal." I said putting the bowl down.

The door opened to reveal Ava, ready for school. "I've got something for you," she threw me a watch "you're S.H.I.E.L.D. issue communicator. I'll see you after school."

"See ya." I said. She left immediately.

"Black Tiger." Wow… convenient.

"What is it?" I asked Fury.

"We caught the ringmaster who kidnapped you," he said "if you want to watch the interrogation."

I stood up, "I'll be there."


	4. Chapter 4

**REALLY... ONLY TWO VOTES? DOES ANYONE UNDERSTAND THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM? AND IT'S A TIE... OH WELL, COIN FLIP: HEADS PETER/AVA, TAILS OC/AVA... PETER/AVA WINS. SURPRISES AWAIT FOR YOU NOW, BUT DON'T WORRY, BLACK TIGER WILL NOT BE ALONE FOR LONG... IT JUST WON'T BE AVA. SIT BACK, RELAX, AND READ.**

Chapter 4: Interrogation Room and Training Room

"We caught the ringmaster who kidnapped you," he said "if you want to watch the interrogation."

I stood up, "I'll be there."

The interrogation room was smaller than I thought. It was a small room with mirrors on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Inside, there was a single table with two chairs on either side, the ringmaster sitting in one.

"That room must take forever to clean." I told myself. I stood outside a two-way mirror and watched the interrogation.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stepped in the room and sat down, "Caleb Connors," he pulled out a file "you are a ringmaster for the New York Circus, is this correct?"

"Yes." He said rubbing his head.

"Is it true that last Saturday you captured a live human, tortured him, and made him perform on your show."

Caleb laughed, "Is something funny?" the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent asked.

"Is that what this is about," he asked "my lawyers can deal with this."

"Animal abuse is one thing," the agent said "human torture is another."

"Human," Caleb shifted in his seat "have you seen what the Black Tiger can do? He once tried to escape by beating up a guard. We had to use the elephant tranquilizer to get him to a new cage made out of pure titanium."

"Was that necessary?" the agent asked.

"You didn't see the guard." He said.

The agent brought out pictures of the burn marks on my back. "Do you recognize these images?"

"Yes," he said "they are taser marks." He said.

"Not all of them…" he said "some are burns from cigarettes." He pointed to certain pictures.

Just then, Caleb's lawyer came in… and I decided to leave.

I left for my room. The hours passed; I meditated, I took deep breaths, and I could eventually change to a tiger at will.

"BLACK TIGER," a speaker whirred to life "YOU ARE SCHEDUALED TO GO TO THE TRAINING ROOM, FURY HAS A TRAINING SESSION PLANNED FOR YOU."

"Oh joy," I said "people willingly beating the snot out of me… reminds me of freshman year."

The training room was huge, easily the size of a football stadium, smooth metal surfaces covered a majority of the room.

"Before we begin," Fury said through the speaker "I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Shoot." I said.

"What job do you think you could have on the Helicarrier?" he asked.

"I could clean." I said.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"I like to clean," I said "but I do my best in the laundry room."

"You wouldn't like to be a leader of your own team?" he asked.

I held back for as long as I could, but then I started to laugh uncontrollably. After I stopped, I looked at Fury, "Have you seen me try to lead people? I swear to you… I tell them to zig, and then they zag."

He grunted, "This is a program created by one of the staff members… it is labeled 'Juggment Day'."

Lights faded, a voice said "Juggment Day: Easy… begin."

The lights flashed back on, New York was in ruins, the sky was grey, and there were no people.

"What happened here?" I asked myself.

A destroyed newspaper stand nearby had a newspaper still on it. I walked over to it, the headline said, "HEROES DEFEATED: JUGGERNAUT LEVELS MANHATTAN!"

"Oooh…" I said to myself "that's why they call it 'Juggment Day'."

I felt a strange feeling in my brain, "My brain is tingling… WOAH!"

I ducked just in time for a car to fly over my head. I turned to my left and saw a man dressed mostly in red.

"Yeah," he said "I'm the Juggernaut."

"Thank you for the introduction." I said.

The ground beneath me rumbled as he charged. The world seemed to slow down as he got within ten feet of me. I jumped over him in a leapfrog manner.

"Unstoppable… yes," I said "quick… not really."

"I'll show you slow!" he yelled. He picked up the nearest car, and threw it at me.

I ran forward and slid on my knees, and slid under the car.

"You're not really making your point clear, Juggsy." I said.

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked pounding his chest "I'm the unstoppable Juggernaut!"

"I think you said that already." I said.

He growled and charged at me, "I need to find a weakness… I'VE GOT IT!"

I jumped over him and unclasped one of his helmet clasps, "One down, three to go."

I repeated that cycle three more times, and on the fourth time I pulled off his helmet and threw it away. I then held onto his back and punched him as hard as I could, and the Juggernaut fell with a thud.

"I hope you peeps were watching that, because I am NOT going to do that again!" I said "Or will I?"

"We have the fight recorded from multiple angles," Fury said as the hologram faded, the LMD was twitching on the floor "so we can see that any time we feel like it."

"Thanks," I said "I'm going to make lunch, you guys want anything."

"It's just me up here," Fury said "and no."

"See ya later, Fury." I said.

++MEANWHILE, ON THE OBSERVATION DECK++

"He might be perfect for recruiting a certain cat-woman that I know of." Fury searched through his files.

"Nick Fury: matchmaker," Agent Hills stood behind him, "I want to believe it."

"This is not a matchmaking mission," he pulled out the file "Tangaroa Island, east of Australia, a mostly uninhabited island with a rumored Lion Guardian that protects the island. I got curious and looked into it. In every carving made of this Lion Guardian pictures her as a lioness with a strange, claw-shaped mark on her fur." He handed Agent Hills some pictures of wooden carvings made by the natives.

"I believe that whomever she is," Fury continued "I think that she could be an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Hmm…" Agent Hills "the weekend isn't for another four days… if only we could…"

++FOUR DAYS LATER++

For the past four days I had been looking forward to this weekend at the beach, it would give me time to learn more about the team, but I would rather be by myself.

++SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THAT++

Nova (Sam) was the first to leave the ship, then Peter, then Iron Fist (Danny), then Power-man (Luke), then me.

The coastline was beautiful, several heads were carved out of stone, and then it was a dense forest beyond the beach.

"Well," I clapped my hands "you kids have fun, I'm going full tiger and exploring this jungle." With that, I became the tiger.

"No, wait!" Peter said. But I was already gone, "Great," he looked over his shoulder "leave me with them."

A volleyball came at him, he caught the ball, and he caught sight of Ava in a pink bikini. "And there's nothing wrong with that." A grin formed on Peter's face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here it is… Chapter 5. I will start introducing the romantic side of my humor/romance adventure. So… read, or else I'm out of a job… I like to think of this as my job. The next chapter, I will dive deeper into the back-stories of my OC's. PEACE!**

**P.S.: My home internet is not working, I am currently on a friend's computer. This means (1) I have to post this chapter early, (2) I might not make next Friday's deadline. Wish me luck.**

Chapter 5: Enter the Lioness

A volleyball came at him, he caught the ball, and he caught sight of Ava in a pink bikini. "And there's nothing wrong with that." A grin formed on Peter's face.

++LATER, IN THE FOREST++

I made my way to the top of a mountain and became humanoid again.

"Ee-e-e-oh-mum-a-weh." I sang. The sound echoed for several seconds.

"So peaceful," I said "I need to get out of New York more often."

I started to whistle _The Lion Sleeps Tonight_, when I heard a rustling in the bush behind me. The odor given off was familiar… feline.

"White Tiger?" I asked "Is that you?"

I heard a growling in the bushes, "Oh for the love of…"

A giant lion pounced at me. I fell off of the cliff and hung onto the cliff wall by my claws. "It's not White Tiger." I said.

The lion loomed over me. "I am not a tiger," she spoke with a surprisingly sweet voice "I am a lioness."

"I'll call you Lioness," I said jumping up over her and landing behind her "Nessie would also work." I became the tiger and roared.

++MEANWHILE, ON THE BEACH++

Ava heard a familiar noise; the roar of a tiger. Being distracted, she missed her set, and the ball imbedded itself in the sand.

"Point!" Sam said high-fiving Luke.

"What is it Ava?" Peter asked putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Peter asked.

Ava opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Black Tiger being thrown through the canopy and landing in the sand ten yards away.

"Tiger?" Peter asked.

"That hurt a lot." He said.

Then, a human seized lion leaped out from the forest. The lion proceeded to circle around Black Tiger.

"Oooh," Sam said "cat fight."

"Can someone hit him for me?" Black Tiger said. Luke then punched Sam in the shoulder.

"OW!" Sam yelled in pain.

"Thank you." Black Tiger said to Luke.

++MEANWHILE, ABOUT TEN YARDS AWAY++

Lioness circled me; not in an _I'm going to eat you now_ way, it was more like a _I'm searching for a weakness so I can take you down_ way.

"So," I said "you must be the lioness that Fury talked about?"

She let out a low growl.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said "and there is a mark on your right arm shaped like a claw that identifies you as the one we're looking for."

With my back facing the team, Lioness pounced at me, and I held her by her wrists as she pushed me back.

"I wouldn't be offended by a few suggestions." I said in a strained voice.

Before anyone could say anything, a drum sounded in the distance. _Buuum, bum bum. Buuum, bum bum_. Lioness started to calm down. She shrank down and started to sway with the beat. The drum stopped, she fell to her knees in front of me, she was unconscious.

Her clothes were tattered, her hair was red, and her skin was covered in a blond fur. She had the bluest eyes… wait.

"You can put me down now." Her voice was sweet for someone who was trying to maul me seconds earlier. I released her hands, and she stood up. "Hello," there was a twinkle in her eye, she outstretched a clawed hand "I'm Layla Hart."

"I'm… I'm…" I was speechless, an attractive woman who was like me.

"Don't get your trench coat in a bunch," she turned around "you can tell me at the bonfire… Stripes."

"'Stripes'?" I asked.

"Better than 'Menace'." Peter said.

Ava punched him in the shoulder, "Come on Web-head, let's go to this bonfire."

++LATER, AT THE BONFIRE++

Tribesmen danced around a fire, they didn't seem to mind the Americans sitting around.

"Well," Ava told Peter "Black Tiger and the Lioness seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah," he said "they look like they were made for each other."

A few feet away, Black Tiger and Lioness were talking and laughing.

"You ever felt like the one person you want to be with is the one person you can't?" Ava asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Peter turned to Ava.

There was a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh… oh… oh…" Peter was speechless.

"Do you feel the same way?" she asked.

"Of course I do." He said. They put their arms around each other, and cuddled in the warmth of the fire.

++SEVERAL FEET AWAY++

"They make a great couple, don't they?" I asked Layla.

"Yes," she said "they do."

"So," I sighed "what do you think about S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"It's okay," she said "I'm not sure what you're going for."

"Would you like to visit sometime," I said "if you're not busy here?"

"Man," she said "I'd love to get out of this place; to go somewhere new, to fight someone who isn't the occasional poacher."

"Well," I said with a smile "you'll find that in New York."

She put an arm around me, and she put her hand on my shoulder.

_Holy crap_ I thought _this is actually happening!_

I heard a purring sound. _Wait a minute,_ I thought _lions don't purr._ Then I realized it was me.

"I can hear that." She said.

"Um…" I had nothing.

"You like me, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes." I said without thinking.

She leaned in close and kissed my cheek, "This'll be the start of something wonderful." She whispered in my ear.

"I know the perfect place on the island where we can talk." She said.

_Man this is going way too fast, _I thought, _why is this going so fast?_

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the forest.

++AND NOW, BACK TO AVA AND PETER++

"What was that about?" Peter asked.

"If they're doing what I think they're doing," Ava said "then they are moving way too fast."

"They're probably just getting away from the crowd to talk privately." Peter said to reassure her.

"Hmm…" she said to herself "maybe I should talk to Black Tiger when we get back on the transport."

"Let him be," Peter said holding her tighter "he can sort this out."


	6. Chapter 6

**Many troubles faced me before I posted this, but if you're reading this… I won. WoHoo! Read the back-story of the OC's true believers.**

Chapter 6: Back-story Madness

"Let him be," Peter said holding her tighter "he can sort this out."

++MEANWHILE, IN THE FOREST++

We lay on our backs side by side facing the moon. Beneath us, an underground river poured out of the mountain, creating a waterfall. _Can You Feel the Love Tonight_ played over and over in my head.

"What's your favorite movie?" I asked.

"The Princess Bride." She answered.

"I am not a great fool," I quoted "so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would've counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!"

She laughed. "My turn: Where do you come from?"

I sighed, "My parents were averagely wealthy; not too rich, not too poor. And I was their son, their awkward, special son. I would always take the bus to school, but I always free-ran back home. I have always been agile. I'd jump from rooftop to rooftop to get home. I would pass every class and get bullied by one Flash Thomson. No one noticed me, not even the police when they saw me running to my house. To pass the time, I would go to Central Park across the street and sleep in the trees. (At this point I tell her about the events between Oscorp and right now…), and now we're here."

"Interesting," she seemed interested "your turn."

"Where do you come from?" I asked.

She looked at the sky, "I was a small girl living in Albany, when my parents took us on a business trip to Tasmania. They were zoologists on the hunt for new species of life in the jungle. A monsoon knocked the plane off course, and we crash landed here. I was the only survivor."

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Stick with me," she said "it gets better."

"Sorry." I said.

"No problem:" she continued. "The native tribe that found me took me in, luckily English is one of their root dialects. They treated me as one of their own, they taught me how to brew medicine from herbs. I eventually became a member of their tribe; they said that each member of the tribe has to have at least one tribal tattoo. They said that my will was strong, like the lion. So they took the blood of a lion, blessed it with their magic, (shows her arm) and they gave me a lion's claw tattoo. Eventually, I became the hair-covered Lioness you see before you. I could even transform into a lioness at will…"

++IN THE SHRUBS NEARBY++

Ava went into the forest anyway and followed Black Tiger and Lioness. "Don't do anything stupid." Ava said to herself as Lioness told Black Tiger about her adventures through the jungle.

"… once I was sent to this temple where they said 'deadly creatures' roamed…" she continued.

Peter sneaks up behind Ava, impersonating David Attenborough, "The mighty White Tiger stalks it's defenseless prey…" she cupped a hand over his mouth.

Lioness didn't notice, "… the vault opened, and inside was an eight-foot-tall gorilla…"

"What are you doing?" she whispered, "I thought you'd recognize a stakeout when you saw one."

"Sorry," he whispered "why do you care so much about Black Tiger's relationship."

"I feel some sort of connection with him," she whispered back "like tigers in a pack."

"Ah," he whispered "so… he's like your brother?"

"It feels that way," she whispered "I feel the need to protect him at all times."

At this point, the Lioness and Black Tiger begin to whisper in each other's ears.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Peter asked.

++SEVERAL FEET AWAY++

"Should we say that we know that they are in the bushes?" Lioness whispered in my ear.

"No," I whispered back "let's have some fun with this."

Both of us leaned back, "Whose turn is it?"

"Well," I said "I asked you 'Where do you come from', then you asked 'Whose turn is it', so it's my turn." She playfully punched me in the arm, it still hurt.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"So you could ask 'Why'd you do that', and now it's my turn." She answered.

I sat up, buried my face in my knees, and laughed uncontrollably. "What's your name?" she asked.

There was a moment of silence, "Blaze Harrison."

"I'll call you 'Stripes'." She said.

"I don't think I even have stripes." I said.

"You do," she said leaning closer to me "you just have to get a… closer look."

_This is going so fast,_ I thought, _why is she hitting on me within a few hours of knowing me?_

"Do you think they can see this?" she whispered in my ear.

"They've been watching us so far." I whispered back.

She leaned in for a kiss when a bright light appeared in front of us… it was Nova, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight." He sang off key.

Lioness pounced on him and covered his eyes, they flew around smashing into nearby trees, and then they left my field of vision.

"This job gets weirder and weirder." I told myself.

++THE NEXT DAY, AT THE HELLICARRIER++

"Well, Miss Hart," Fury stretched his hand "welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D."

They shook hands, "I'm glad I got all of this bureaucratic nonsense out of the way," she said "now I can go have fun in the city."

"You can't leave the Helicarrier yet." He said.

"What," she turned toward me "can you believe this."

"I was just here as a witness to the contract signing," I said "but you should let Fury explain."

She turned toward Fury. "Most people would be uncomfortable with a human lion walking down the street in the middle of the day."

She said a word in her tribal language, I'm pretty sure he got what she meant, he left the room.

"Blaze," she used my first name "do you think you could pick up some plants for me?"

I shrugged, "Sure?"

"I made a list of herbs and spices that I need to make, what I like to call, instant medicine, and some other thing that I can make." She handed me a slip of paper about a foot long.

"Really?" I asked.

"Do you think you can handle it?" she asked.

"Nessie," I raised the pitch of my voice "_I got this!_"


	7. Chapter 7

**I'd like to thank my friends, my family, and GOD… and of course, the viewing audience. Without you, this story would just be an idea in my head. Be sure to check out my chanel, I have a poll. Also, ever since a blackout in my area, the internet has been... uncoopative. I might not make next weeks post.**

Chapter 7: Plant Store, a Robbery, and Grizzly

"Nessie," I raised the pitch of my voice "_I got this!_"

She threw my trench coat in my face, "Just get me some plants."

++LATER, ON THE STREET++

It never gets old when I am beamed to the ground from the Helicarrier and vise versa. I was beamed to the roof of a building in New Orleans in my full outfit; black from my hat to my custom leather shoes. I was a shadow, running from rooftop to rooftop without a sound. Then, I found my way to _Pam's Plants Plus_, a small, family owned shop.

I jumped down onto the sidewalk and entered the store. A bell dinged as I opened the door, a female employee ran up to me.

"Hello." I said.

"Hey." Her hair was messed up, her clothes were… I don't even know if there is a word to describe the green uniform.

"I," I stuttered "I need the items on this list." I gave her the list.

She looked at the list very closely. She grabbed a basket and handed it to me. We walked down the aisles of the store, weaving in and out as she grabbed items and put them in my basket.

"And…" she looked at the list "that's everything."

"Where do you get these?" I asked.

"My parents are *ehem* botanists," she said "they give me their exotic samples."

"Interesting." I said.

She rang me up at the register, "$43.21"

I searched my pockets. In my left trench coat pocket, there was a fifty dollar bill with a note that said: "I thought you'd forget your money. L.H."

"How did she do that?!" I asked out loud.

I gave her the fifty, she gave me my change, and I beamed up to the Helicarrier.

I walked to her door and knocked, "It's open." I heard her say.

I opened the door, "Some plants for…" I noticed her room; all of the walls were covered in a wallpaper that made me feel like I was in a forest, a hammock was suspended from opposite walls, a small bowl rested above a Bunsen burner, "… you."

She came out of her bathroom draped in a towel, "Good," she said "you got them."

I closed my eyes, she could not tell that I was blushing, "Why are you naked?"

"I just came out of the shower," her voice became really seductive "why, does it make you uncomfortable?"

_Crap._ I heard her walk toward me, _Crap!_ She put her arms around me, _CRAP! TOO FAST! TOO FAST!_

Just then my communicator went off, _Saved by Fury… I sense irony_.

I held the watch up to my mouth, "What up, Fury?" I asked.

"You and Lioness better get suited up," he said "because I have your first field assignment: a robbery."

"I need details." I said.

"We'll beam you as close to the runaway vehicle as we can, but otherwise, you're on your own." He said. "Also, this is a video communicator, you don't need to hold it to your mouth."

"Sorry," I said "but why is Lioness coming with me… this sounds like a one man job."

"There have been sightings if Grizzly in the area," he said "she will be covering you from the rooftops."

"We'll be right there." I said.

++LATER, ON THE ROOFTOPS++

"I don't see what the big deal is." Lioness stood next to me in a beige version of my outfit.

"This robber is armed and mobile," I answered "someone could get hurt."

"I meant why Fury has all of these extra outfits of different colors." She clarified.

"I have no idea." I said.

A red car sped around a corner with two police cars on its tail. "Time to go to work."

I jumped on top of the car and dug my claws into the roof.

I tore the roof off of the care like it was made out of tin. The thug in the driver's seat kept his eyes on the road.

"Really," I said "you took a red car?"

I jumped in the passenger's seat, "I'm not sure if we've met," I stretched out my hand "Black Tiger."

The driver did nothing. I pointed at the emergency break, "I wonder what this does?" I pressed the button and pulled the lever. The car skidded to a stop, and I knocked out the driver.

"Have fun in jail." I said leaping from the vehicle onto the roof.

"And no sign of this Grizzly character," I said "now where is Lioness?"

"I'm givin' 'er a bear hug." I turned to see a man in a metal bear suit squeezing Lioness.

I did a front flip and landed on his back. I flicked his nose "Drop it." I said to him like I was talking to a dog, "Drop it."

He let her go. "Good puppy," I said "Fido wanna biscuit?"

"Get offa me." He said shaking me and trying to get me off.

I dug my claws in the seams of his suit, "Ride 'em cowboy!" I yelled.

He started spinning in circles like a bull in a rodeo.

The gang arrived. "Lioness?" Iron Fist asked.

"Black Tiger?" White Tiger asked.

"Grizzly?" Spider-man asked.

"Oh my." Nova chuckled under his breath.

"Really Nova?" Power-man asked.

White Tiger and Iron Fist ran to Lioness as I was slammed into the wall.

She rubbed her head. "We need to get Stripes, and…"

"NO!" I yelled "I've got this clown, just get Lioness out of here!"

"You two take care of Lioness," Spider-man commanded "Power-man, Nova, and I will help Black Tiger."

Iron Fist activated his watch, "Beam us up Coulson, and have a medic ready."

There was a bright light, and the trio was gone.

"Now that she's taken care of," I said "what do we do about this buckin' bronco?"

With that, Grizzly grabbed me and threw me against a wall. I stuck there for about three seconds before I peeled off.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, okay," I said "everything hurts. I can't move." I heard the sounds of a fight, and then I heard Grizzly hit the ground hard.

"Tiger," Spider-man asked "are you okay."

"Notice how my outfit doesn't even have a single tear in it," Power-man helped me up "and you know why… because it was custom made by the Juggernaut." With that, I passed out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ah… I don't even know what to tell you anymore. You know what this is. NOTE: I do not own the rights for ****_Moby Dick_****. There is a 75% chance that I will not posr next week; my computor crashed and I don't have a wireless devise that has a USB port.**

Chapter 8: Relaxing in the Helicarrier

"Notice how my outfit doesn't even have a single tear in it," Power-man helped me up "and you know why… because it was custom made by the Juggernaut." With that, I passed out.

I woke up in the medical bay, Layla was holding my hand.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

She looked at the clock, "Nine hours, fifty-six minutes, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven seconds."

"You counted?" I asked.

"You broke your spine in three places," she said "your healing factor did the rest."

"I have a healing factor?!" I asked.

"Apparently." She said.

"Did you use your herbal medicine?" I asked.

"No," she said "the doctors said that you have to stay on the Helicarrier for a full twenty-four hours."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said "he just knocked the wind out of me."

"Well," I got out of bed "I need you to leave so I can put on some clothes, and then we are going to have a good day off."

I changed into my outfit (freshly cleaned) and took Layla to the game room.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"This is the game room," I said "where the teens go to have fun."

"Okay," she said "_why_ are we here?"

I looked in her eyes, "Fury has his own karaoke machine.

I pointed to the machine, which was hooked up to speakers.

"You go first." I said.

She walked up to the microphone, picked a song, and sang beautifully: "No I would not give you false hope on this strange and mournful day, but the mother and child reu-nion is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine. I can't for the life of me, remember a sadder day. I know they say let it be, but it just don't work out that way, and the course of a lifetime runs over and over again. No I would not give you false hope on this strange and mournful day, but the mother and child reu-nion is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine. I just can't believe it's so, and though it seems strange to say, I never been laid so low. In such a mysterious way, and the course of a lifetime runs over and over again. But I would not give you false hope on this strange and mournful day, when the mother and child reu-nion is only a motion away, oh. Oh the mother and child reunion is only a motion away. Oh the mother and child reu-nion is only a moment away."

I clapped when she finished, "Your turn." She said.

"Okay." I said.

I went to the machine, picked a song, and sang: "I thought love was only true in fairy tales. Meant for someone else but not for me. Love was out to get me, that's the way it seemed. Disappointment haunted all my dreams. Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer! Not a trace of doubt in my mind. I'm in love, I'm a believer! I couldn't leave her if I tried. I thought love was more or less a given thing, seems the more I gave the less I got. What's the use in tryin'? All you get is pain. When I needed sunshine I got rain. Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer! Not a trace of doubt in my mind. I'm in love, I'm a believer! I couldn't leave her if I tried."

She clapped her hands, I went to her and she wrapped her arms around me. "Let's make lunch." She said.

"Okay." I said.

We heated up a microwave pizza and ate it. "All meat pizza," I said "I sense irony."

"You know," she said "all cats have a predator side, but there is also a docile side."

"How does that relate to what I just said?" I asked.

"It doesn't." She said.

"Okay." I said.

"I think I love you." When she said that, my brain imploded.

"What?" I asked.

"You heard me." She said sassily.

"You only met me a few days ago." I said.

"I'm old enough to know who I love." She said.

"This might be going a little too fast." I said.

"Oh come on," she said "it's not like I'm going to have kittens with you sometime soon. I want to be married first."

"Good morals." I said.

"Sooooo…" she said "I wonder what Peter and Ava are doing, they're going to miss lunch."

"I'll get them." I said.

++MEANWHILE, IN AVA'S ROOM++

Ava has been reading to Peter from one of her first books: "… I was held above the water for almost one whole day and night, floating on a calm, peaceful sea. Even the circling sharks glided by as if their jaws were locked shut. The savage sea vultures sailed with closed beaks. On the second day, a sail drew near, I was picked up at last. It was the sad _Rachel_. In her search for her missing children she only found me, Ishmael." She closed the book and turned toward a snoring Peter.

"PETE!" she yelled.

"Nyah." He said as he woke up. And fell out on his chair.

"When did you fall asleep?" she asked.

"About two hours ago." He said.

"You do realize that I have to read this to you again, right?" she asked.

"Man hunts whale, obsession over whale kills man, and that's all I need to know."

She grunted and opened the book again: "Chapter One: Call me Ishmael. A few years ago, with no money in my wallet and nothing interesting to do on shore, I thought I would sail around a little on the watery part of the world. There is something mystical about being on the water, free of the land. I had been to sea many times before, but never to hunt whales. I don't know why, but this just seemed what I had to do this time. I would find a whaling ship and see if I could join the crew. The thrill of hunting a huge monster of the ocean and sailing the distant seas began to fill my mind. This was going to be exiting!"

She looked to Peter, whom was already asleep on the floor. She playfully threw a pillow in his face. They had a playful pillow fight for about ten seconds before they looked into each other's eyes, leaned forward, and kissed each other.

The door lifted open and Black Tiger was on the other side. "Lunch is r… oh…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the wait, but here is the new chapter. Remember to review, follow, and favorite. Let me know that I'm loved. Also I got a new computer that doesn't have internet yet, there ****_might_**** be some changes in the font.**

Chapter 9: Plans

The door lifted open and Black Tiger was on the other side. "Lunch is r… oh…"

++BLACK TIGER POV++

Both peter and Ava starred at me.

"I didn't see anything." I said walking away.

"Wait," Ava said coming out of the door and grabbing my shoulder, "you did see something."

"I'm sorry," I said turning to face her "I should have knocked first."

"You think," she said "but people were bound to find out sooner or later."

"Listen Tiger…" she started to say.

"You can call me Blaze," I said "as that is my name, and it would be less confusing since we're both tigers… kind of."

"Blaze," she said "I also know that you are in a relationship with Layla."

"How do you know?" I asked playing along with what I did on the island.

"I…" she rubbed her neck "… spied on you that night on the island."

I kept my cool (tehehe), "Was Pete with you?" I asked.

"Yes," she said "he was."

"Wait a minute," I said "if you and Peter are going out, and Layla and I are going out…"

"Wait," Ava interrupted "are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"

"Maybe," I said "what do you think I'm suggesting?"

"I think I know what you're suggesting," she said "but we need to plan."

"The plan would have to be based off of my idea," I said "which I still don't know if you know what I know."

"Please stop," Peter walked out of Ava's room "just say what you need to say."

"I'm saying," I said "that if you and Ava are dating, and Layla and I are dating, then we should go on a double date."

"However," Ava said "if we are going to do this, we need to…"

"Plan," Peter finished "I was listening the first time you said it."

"First things first:" I said "we need to see if Layla is down with this."

We walked into the kitchen where Layla had already made sandwiches for the two of them.

"Ham and cheese sandwiches for all." She said.

"Wow," Pete said "you work fast."

"That tends to happen when one person prepares lunch for two people," I said "she started making the sandwiches were almost ready when I left to get you two."

"Ehem." Ava said.

"Oh… right," I said "Layla, how would you feel about a double date?"

"With who?" she asked.

"Well," I said "you and I, and Peter and Ava."

"But Stripes, we both know that they…" she noticed that I winked at her "… are just friends."

"Yeah," Peter said "things happened."

"I might have walked in on them kissing." I said.

"'Might have,'" Ava asked "you _did_ walk in on us."

"So," Layla walked toward Peter "how was it?"

"What:" Peter "the kiss, the pillow fight, or her reading _Moby Dick_?" Ava elbowed him in the ribs.

"In any case," I said "do you, or do you not, want to go on a double date?"

She thought for several seconds, "Sure."

"Excelsior." I said.

"What?" Ava asked.

"I think it means 'excellent', but I'm not sure." I replied.

"Doesn't Stan the janitor say that a lot?" Peter asked.

"I think so." Ava said.

"Maybe I picked it up." I suggested.

"You went to our school?" Peter asked.

"We weren't in the same grade," I said "we probably never saw each other in classes."

After a moment of silence: "So…" Layla said "where is this diner extravaganza?"

"Ah…" I said "I've got nothing."

"Really?" Layla asked.

"We were hoping that we would get past the _Asking Layla_ stage before the _Where do we Eat_ stage." I said.

"It feels like an Arby's night." Everyone stared at Peter when he said that.

"I don't think that Arby's is such a good idea." I said crossing my arms.

"What about Chinese?" He asked.

"No," I said "Layla and I can't be seen in public."

"What about a rooftop diner?" Ava asked.

"Which rooftop?" I asked.

"Harry's place has a nice roof we could use."Peter said.

"Would Harry be down with that," Ava asked Peter "you two haven't been on the best of terms lately."

"That's because I haven't seen him in two weeks." Peter said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it," I said "what's the worst thing that could happen." I ended up regretting that I had said that.

"What else will we need?" Peter asked.

I counted with my fingers, "Tables, chairs, a tablecloth, a candelabra, candles, matches, music…"

"Fury's approval." Ava finished.

"Why would Fury allow this?" Peter asked.

A door slid open, and Fury stepped inside. "Because I know teenagers," he said "you'll go out even if I say 'no'."

"So," I said "is that a 'yes' then?"

"Correct." He said.

"Yes." Layla whispered to herself, though we could all hear her. Fury left the room.

"There will be music," I said "but what kind?"

"Slow dancing songs." Layla suggested.

"I'll make a mix CD." Ava said.

"I'll call Harry's house maid," Peter said "see if she can let us use the roof for our double date."

"I'm going to use the kitchen to make more food." Layla said.

"I'm going to…" I said "what should I do?"

"You can get the other things that we need. You know, the candles and junk." Layla said.

"Okay," I said "where do I look?"

"How did you get me the plants that I needed?" Layla asked.

"Cover of darkness and I was in New Orleans." I said.

"Oh," she said "well, we could get Agent Hills to do it."

"Will she be down with it?" Ava asked.

"Anything for a friend." She was suddenly in the room.

"First Fury and now Agent Hills," I said "they are either good listeners or excellent spies."

"Both actually." She said.

"Okay," Layla said "let's get ready for our double date on the roof."


	10. Chapter 10

**Nothing could go wrong on a simple date, right? …RIGHT?!**

Chapter 10: Double Date on the Roof

"Okay," Layla said "let's get ready for our double date on the roof."

"Well," I said "I feel like the fifth wheel here."

"I have an idea," Layla said "I found a scary game online that you could play."

"What's it called?" I asked.

"Slender: The Arrival." She said.

"No," I said "I'm not down with playing Slender games."

"Who is this 'Slender' person?" Peter asked.

"Hey," Agent Hills said form behind a computer "I found a website on the 'Slender Man'."

"What does it say?" I asked.

She highlighted a section; it described a tall pale figure who wears a black suit.

One part intrigued Ava, she read aloud, "He is also able to create tendrils from his fingers and back that he uses to walk on in a similar fashion to Doctor Octopus. The superhuman stretching ability could also be seen as a similarity between himself and Mr. Fantastic.'"

"They compare a black suited skinny man to Doctor Octopus and Mr. Fantastic?" I asked.

"Given the context and the fact that I've seen both before," Peter said "I'm not too surprised."

"Preparing for your dates is going to take a while," Agent Hills said "if only we could…"

++SEVERAL HOURS LATER, ON THE OSBORN'S ROOFTOP++

Three candles mounted in the candelabra were freshly lit, casting a small glow of light around a square table covered in a white tablecloth with four chairs one each side of the table. Layla had cut the sandwiches into heart-like shapes and placed them on a platter for us to grab. Ava had made a mix CD with slow dancing songs (featuring the songs: Your Song - Elton John, When I need you - Leo Sayer, Babe - Styx, Let's Stay Together - Al Green, I'll Be There - The Jackson 5, How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees, You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls, Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler, Baby I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton, Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton, You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker, Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper, Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx, The Lady in Red - Chris de Burgh, Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin, Faithfully - Journey, Take My Breath Away - Berlin, (I've Had) The Time of My Life - Billy Medley and Jennifer Warns, I Swear - All-4-One, I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams, Amazed - Lonestar, I Don't Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith, This I Promise You - 'N Sync, One - U2, Hero - Enrique Iglesias, You And Me - Lifehouse, Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol, U Got It Bad - Usher, and Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's) so we could dance with our respective partners. Peter had made arrangements with the housemaid to use the rooftop. Meanwhile, let's just say that I now have a fear of the Slender Man, and recurring nightmare of the Slender Man.

"How did you convince me to play that game?" I asked Layla. She was wearing a leopard pattern dress. (Is that irony, a lioness wearing a leopard design on a dress, unless someone tells me otherwise I'm going to say that it's irony.)

"A woman has her ways." She said.

We sat in our chairs, ate our sandwiches, and talked. I spaced out while the others were talking. So I'm going to do this:

++MEANWHILE, WHERE AVA IS SITTING++

(Warning: References to other Ultimate Spider-man episodes in the future.)

_Why is Blaze just staring into space?_ Ava thought.

"So," Layla said "how did you two first meet?"

"It was a bright and sunny day," Ava rolled her eyes when Peter said that "the lilies were starting to bloom…"

"Get to the point Joe Dramatic." Layla said.

"He just joined S.H.E.I.L.D., he lost control of his Spider-cycle, and I helped him out." Ava said.

Layla laughed and Peter slammed his head into the table. "That was how we met," Peter said "I can vouch for that story."

"How long have you known that Peter liked you?" Layla asked.

"Um…" Peter said "why are you asking these questions?"

"I've known ever since I saw him check me out in my bikini on Sandman's island." Ava answered as Peter blushed.

"You naughty boy," Layla said "now it's your turn: when did you know that Ava liked you?"

"I knew when she gave me an affectionate hug after we defeated Kraven." He said.

Ava blushed, "For the record I knew first."

"What do you think about Blaze?" Peter asked.

"I think I love him." She said.

"Whoa!", "Wait… WHAT?!" Ava and Peter said simultaneously.

This is the part when I snap out of it.

"Nyah." I woke in a spasm.

"Okay," Peter said "this just got awkward."

"So," Layla stood up "who wants to dance?"

We danced for several hours; I danced with Layla, and Peter danced with Ava. Everything seemed perfect.

"I would like to kiss you now." Layla said.

"Don't you think this is going too…" before I could finish she kissed me on the lips. I was so surprised by the sudden kiss that I hadn't noticed that I was kissing her back.

++MEANWHILE, SEVERAL FEET AWAY++

"They make a good couple," Ava said "it gives me some ideas."

"I was thinking the same thing." Peter said before they shared a kiss. But, nothing stays perfect forever.

Black tentacles emerged over the side of the building and grabbed us.

"Is it the Slender Man?" I asked without thinking.

"No," Peter said "it's Venom."

A dark figure as black as night emerged over the side of the building; only his eyes and his teeth were visible, glowing white in the distance.

"I deliver a message from the Goblin," he said "there will soon be war in the streets of New York; fires will engulf the Statue of Liberty until she melts. And Spider-man, he will burn too."

"That's a little dramatic." I said.

"Think of it as you wish," Venom said "deliver the message to Spider-man."

He stepped off of the roof and disappeared into the night. I looked down over the city in my full Black Tiger outfit, tipped my hat and said, "Consider it done."

**Note: I have been doing a 1000+ word limit for each chapter, but I have been struggling to keep up. So, I am changing my limit to a 500+ word limit. I'll get work done, and I won't have to stress myself too hard.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A threat of war from the Goblin? It's kicking off!**

Chapter 11: Enter the Hobgoblin

He stepped off of the roof and disappeared into the night. I looked down over the city in my full Black Tiger outfit, tipped my hat and said, "Consider it done."

I turned to face Peter, "What was that?!"

"Venom," he answered "he wasn't Harry Osborn, though."

"How could you tell?" Layla asked.

"When Harry is Venom," he answered "there is a white spider emblem on his chest and back."

"You do realize that Venom sent a message from the Goblin declaring war, right?" Ava asked.

"Right." I held the watch up to my mouth "Beam us up Agent Coulson."

"It is a video watch," Coulson said "you don't have to hold it up to your mouth."

"Sorry." I said. There was a bright flash of white light, and we were transported into the Helicarrier.

Fury was already there, "I already know about the threat given by Venom."

"How does he do that?" I asked.

"He's a super-spy." Peter said.

"As I was saying," Fury shot an angry glance at us "that's not the worst news we've had today."

"It gets worse than Goblin and Venom?" Ava asked.

"What could be worse?" I asked.

"Two Goblins," why did I even ask "sighted on different ends of the city."

"Is Goblin using his gas again?" Ava asked.

"No," Fury answered "descriptions of the two Goblins differ. The one sighted near Oscorp was green, while the one sighted near Midtown was orange. Both are heading here, the orange one will get here first."

"How long will it take?" I asked.

Fury looked at his watch, "Sooner than it will take me to finish this sent…"

Red lights flashed, "INTRUDER ALERT!" it repeated.

"To the bridge!" Fury yelled.

We changed into our outfits and made our way to the bridge where an orange creature was throwing agents around like a toddler's tantrum with a toy box.

"(Maniacal laughter) You cannot stop **the Hobgoblin**!" he yelled.

"That voice…" Spider-man said "no… it can't be."

Glass shattered as the Goblin entered through a nearby window.

"Where is he?" Goblin yelled getting off of his glider.

The Hobgoblin put down the random S.H.I.E.L.D. agent he was holding and walked toward Goblin.

"Hello dad." He said.

"Harry Osborn?" White Tiger asked.

"What has he done to himself?" Spider-man asked.

"Ten dollars down on Hobgoblin." Layla said.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Like the new look?" Hobgoblin asked "I did it to impress you. When I was human, you never paid attention to me. Now that I'm like you, maybe I can be the son you wanted."

"There is one problem with your plan." Goblin said.

"What's that?" Hobgoblin asked.

Goblin grabbed Hobgoblin and threw him into a wall, "There can be only ONE Goblin in Manhattan." Reference.

Suddenly, Nick Fury was on every screen on the bridge. "The communications are a bit choppy, but I'll make one thing clear: I am tired of these (static) goblins, in my (static) Helicarrier." Reference.

"Do I want to know what he said during the static?" I asked.

"No." Spider-man and White Tiger said at the same time. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with guns stormed the bridge.

"Take note, Hobgoblin," Goblin said mounting his glider "you are only an inconvenience to my real plan, but you have my attention."

Goblin turned toward the agents, "This will be a civil war between the goblins, if you get in the middle, I will end you." He jumped out of a window followed by the Hobgoblin, who spread mechanical wings and flew away.

**Sorry nightwing 1, my stress levels are reaching their maximum, this helps with these shorter chapters.**


	12. Chapter 12

**It's time for a cameo!**

Chapter 12:Cameo

Goblin turned toward the agents, "This will be a civil war between the goblins, if you get in the middle, I will end you." He jumped out of a window followed by the Hobgoblin, who spread mechanical wings and flew away.

I turned to the others, "Can someone please explain to me what just happened."

Nick Fury entered through a nearby door, "War has been declared between those two Goblins."

"Where were you?" I asked.

"I was sending a message to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents," he said "where were you?"

"Um," I rubbed the back of my neck "right here."

Fury crossed his arms, "And you didn't try to stop the Goblins?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, "We wanted to watch the fight from a safe distance." I said.

"We'll talk about this later," Fury said "right now we need to get to the debriefing room."

The debriefing room was a medium seized room with an oval shaped table with the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia in the center.

Fury stood next to a large screen with previously taken pictures. "This is what we know so far: (picture of goblin) Goblin, Norman Osborn, (picture of Hobgoblin) Hobgoblin, Harry Osborn, (picture of this new Venom) and Venom have been seen today. It is unknown who he is at this point, but we have a prime suspect: (picture of an average looking person) Angelo Fortunato, an Oscorp employee that disappeared several days ago."

"Why is it always Oscorp?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Spider-man answered.

"Why is he the prime suspect?" White Tiger asked.

The meeting was soooooooo boring. So I'll just give you the gist of it: Harry Osborn became the Hobgoblin and got his technology from none other than… Doc Oc. (Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUN). Apparently it is a combination of the Carnage symbiote and the Goblin serum (don't ask). The wings are made out of something called 'nanofiber', I have no idea what that is. I'm a talking cat person, so the suspension of disbelief went out the window a while ago.

Anyway, Spiderman and I were following a lead, and we ended up in an alley.

"So," I said "White Tiger rescued you first, and then you rescued her and used her line against her?"

"Yep." Spider-man said. I laughed so hard.

Lightning struck in the distance lighting up the alley. A dark silhouette stood in our way. Spider-man and I got into our fighting stances.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"It depends on who you ask," the figure said with a monotonous voice "most people call me Onyx. I am also the person who summoned you to this darkened corridor of filth and trash."

"Okay," Spider-man said "why did you want to meet us here?"

"I am the one with the key; I do not expect you to trust me without some sort of test. But, you will have to trust me. Or else, Manhattan is doomed."

"Is that a threat?" I asked.

"It is an offer," Onyx said "it is your choice whether or not to accept, but it would be easier with the key that I possess."

"And what key is that?" Spider-man asked.

"It is the key to defeating the symbiote without harming the host inside."

"What is it?" Spider-man asked.

"Sonic." Onyx said.

"How will a hedgehog help us?" I asked. Reference.

"Sound," Onyx said "I tested my theory on a specimen I collected recently. I used a tuning fork against a symbiote exactly one gram in weight. The sample then recoiled and shrieked in pain. Of course, when you use sound on Venom, you will need to use more than a small tuning fork."

Onyx threw a flash drive at me, which I caught. "That has all the data that I gathered on it, use it wisely." Another flash of lightning, and Onyx was gone.

"That was creepy." I said.

"_Venom has been sighted in a construction yard about three blocked west of Oscorp._" Lioness said on my watch.

I held the watch a reasonable distance away from my face, "We'll be right there."

"What about Onyx?" Spider-man asked.

"Onyx will find us." I said putting the flash drive in my pocket. We leapt onto the spider-cycle and sped toward the construction yard.


	13. Chapter 13

**The black sludge itself.**

Chapter 13: Venom

"Onyx will find us." I said putting the flash drive in my pocket. We leapt onto the spider-cycle and sped toward the construction yard.

The construction yard was easy enough to find, the others… not so much. The skeleton of the new building was still visible. Some steel pipes lay on the ground nearby.

"I can't contact the rest of the team." Spider-man said.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

Spider-man fiddled with his watch, "They should be right here." He said.

"Is there a three dimensional setting on the watch?" I asked.

"Maybe." He said. He fiddled with his watch for a few moments and then a hologram of the surrounding area appeared from the watch. The red dots that were the rest of the team were directly below us.

"Okay," I said "at a guess: after they sent the message, they followed Venom into this boiler room looking place, and now they're stuck there for some reason."

"I feel like I've seen this movie before at Harry's," Spider-man said as he grabbed something from his spider-bike "we're going to need these."

He threw me a web cannon and kept one for himself.

"We're going to go in this tunnel, find the others, and stop Venom before anyone even knows we were there." Spider-man said as he turned on the night vision in his mask.

The tunnel was dark and dry; it was at that moment that I learned that I had night vision. I felt the wall with my right hand; at first it was smooth and dry, then it turned wet and sticky.

"Ew," I said shaking the slime off of my hand "this wall is covered in slime."

"It's probably just residue," Spider-man said looking at his watch "the rest of the team is about fifteen yards ahead.

We slowly walked into a large room with a heater inside. Spider-man brought up the 3D map of the room. "Wait," he said "now they're above us?"

"How can they be below us on the surface, but in here they're…" my question was interrupted by black slime dripping on my hand. *drip* *drip* *drip*. We looked up simultaneously to see the other five members of the team; unconscious, but breathing, "…above us."

"How are we supposed to reach up there?" I asked.

"I can't stick to the walls because of the Venom sludge." Spider-man said.

I thought for a moment, "I think you need to put a net below them."

He made a web net below the others, "Now what?" he asked.

I grabbed a metal railing and tore it off, and then I hit it against another railing repeatedly. The slime trembled, recoiled, and disappeared. The others fell into the web safely.

"That worked," I said "Onyx was right."

"You trusted that shadowy character?" Spider-man asked.

"You didn't." I asked.

A small black tentacle slithered behind Spider-man.

I pointed the web cannon at him, "DOWN!"

He ducked as I fired. Venom crawled slowly out of a hole in the wall.

"Get the others out of this hole!" I stated.

"How?" He asked.

"You have the proportionate strength of a spider _and_ most of the tunnel is slippery black goo." I said.

"Good point." He said.

He started dragging the others out. And then I turned to see the seven foot tall monster known as Venom. "It's time for a plan." I began shooting at Venom

++LATER, OUTSIDE++

Ava woke up with a pounding headache, and she did not know where she was. Lioness was the only other member that was awake.

"Tiger!" Spider-man ran to her and hugged her.

"Hey Spidey." She said groggily.

"Are you o…" he was cut short when White Tiger kissed him through his mask.

"I think it would be a better kiss if you two weren't wearing masks," Lioness said looking around "where's Stripes?"

++SEVERAL SECONDS LATER++

After Venom tossed me out of the tunnel, I ended up next to the steel pipes… just like I planned.

Venom walked toward me dripping with web fluid. "Mere webbing cannot contain me." He said.

I grabbed two pipes and clashed them together. Venom held onto his ears, the symbiote spasmed in pain. Then I drove those into the ground by his feet. Spider-man leapt in the air and webbed two more pipes and drove them into the ground near the other two. As he did that, I grabbed two more piped and drove them into the ground. We repeated this cycle until I grabbed a pipe and walked circles around the sound cage, hitting the embedded pipes with the pipe I held.

Pieces of the symbiote were falling off of him until it was just the man standing on top of a black puddle. I grabbed him by his collar and dragged him out of the sound cage. "Now we just need to take care of the slime.

"Um." Lioness pointed at the empty cage. The symbiote had already bonded with the nearest host… Iron Fist. He stood up covered in the black slime. His eyes were glowing white, and his fists were glowing yellow.

"Iron Fist," I said "if you're still in there, would you kindly step into the sound cage?"

"Ruinous choices lead to ruinous outcomes." He said. He shrieked and leapt into the tunnel with Spider-man following behind him.

"What was that?!" I yelled.

"Iron Fist talks like that." White Tiger said.

"You better leave before the Goblins arrive." Angelo said weakly.

"'Goblins', what do you mean 'Goblins'?" White Tiger said, now fully awake.

"RUN AWAY!" Spider-man yelled being chased by construction worker goblins.

Long story short: we escaped, Angelo confessed to kidnapping workers to increase the Goblin's army, and Venomized Iron Fist was out there somewhere. Tune in next week when we find another crucial piece of the war.


	14. Chapter 14

** Previously, on ****_The Origin of Black Tiger_****: We escaped, Angelo confessed to kidnapping workers to increase the Goblin's army, and Venomized Iron Fist was out there somewhere.**

Chapter 14: Doc Oc

We made it to the Helicarrier to discuss our next move.

"We need to get Danny back." Ava stated.

"I realize that," Layla said "but we need to prioritize. The Goblins should be our priority; they will be able to harm more people if they are making miniature versions of themselves."

"The question is: should we focus on the needs of the many, or the needs of the few?" I asked.

Peter, Luke, and Sam entered the room.

"What's up?" Layla asked.

"Angelo is talking with the interrogator as we speak," Sam said "he had some interesting things to say."

"Like what?" I asked.

"That he was sent by the Goblin to find Doc Oc and collect people for his goblin army, and he almost knew where he was until we, ehem, interrupted." Peter said. "We need to split off into groups to search each of the three locations. Blaze, go with Ava. Layla, go with Luke. Sam *groan* I guess you're with me."

When we geared up and went to the warehouses, a swarm of octo-bots swarmed us.

Eventually, White Tiger and I stood over a pile of destroyed octo-bots.

"There is no sign of the good doctor anywhere." I said kicking an octo-bot.

"Besides the fifty octo-bots that tried to kill us." She finished.

I held up my watch, "Spider-man?"

"Nothing." He replied.

I switched frequency, "Power-man?"

"Nothing but octo-bots here." He said.

I had a thought, "These octo-bots are short range. So the source must be nearby."

"Knowing the mad doctor," Spider-man said "he's probably underground."

"We should follow the pipes that the octo-bots came from." I suggested.

"Roger that." Nova said off screen.

We made our way through the tunnels until we made it to Doc Oc's lair.

White Tiger and I were the first ones there. There were vials of orange liquid lined up.

"He's mass producing the Hobgoblin serum." I whispered to her.

"There must be dozens of these vials everywhere." White tiger whispered back.

"You two are clever," a voice said from above "but not clever enough to sense my trap."

A tingling went off in my brain. I grabbed White Tiger by the shoulders and we both dropped to the ground… avoiding the metallic tentacles that would've crushed us.

"I just want you to know…" White Tiger was interrupted when she noticed a tentacle grabbing my leg.

"You know what;" I said noticing the tentacle for myself "can you hold on to that thought for one moment? Thanks."

The tentacle dragged me to the face of a man whom I can only describe as a man who needs to get out more.

"And who might you be?" Doc Oc asked.

"I _might_ be Wolverine," I said swinging upside-down with my arms crossed "but I'm not."

"You're a confident one," he said "I like your skin."

"I use Whiskers Kitty Shampoo." I said. Unknown to Doc Oc, White tiger and the others were grouping up behind him.

Doc Oc ignored my comment. "I will enjoy peeling it off for further study."

"Before you skin me," I said "may I ask a question?"

"It's only fair." He said.

"Why are you working for Hobgoblin?" I said.

"As long as I'm working to bring down Norman," he said "I am satisfied."

White Tiger pounced on his back and clawed at his tentacles. He dropped me after that, and I landed on my feet. Doc Oc hit me with a tentacle and sent me flying into Power-man. I blacked out before he caught me.

When I came around, Doc Oc lay on the ground. His tentacles had been removed.

"Where is the Anti-Venom?" Spider-man asked. The fight must've just ended.

"How do you get hit like that on a regular basis and remain conscious?" I asked.

"You get used to it over time." White Tiger said.

"The Anti-Venom is in the vault beneath the computer." He said before being knocked out by Power-man.

"What is this 'Anti-Venom'?" I asked.

"It gets the Venom symbiote off painlessly and without electrocution." Spider-man answered.

"Why not use electrocution?" Lioness asked.

Spider-man looked at her, "I don't want to risk hurting my friend, and we can't use a sound cage because he'll expect that."

"We have to find him first." I said before we left the evil lair.


	15. Chapter 15

**Today is my birthday; this has nothing to do with the plot of the story, I am 18 years old. The passive Iron Fist has been taken over by Venom.**

Chapter 15: Venomized Iron Fist

"We have to find him first." I said before we left the evil lair.

After many, many days of searching… we found the equivalent of jack squat.

"I know he's a K'un Lun ninja," I said wiping the sweat from my brow "but how does that make him harder to find?"

"Because he's a K'un Lun ninja?" Ava said giggling through her communicator.

"Thanks Ava," I said "your sense of humor is improving."

"He's either in one spot that we can't find," Spider-man said focused on something else "or he's always moving."

"Nova to Spider-man." Nova said on his communicator.

"What is it Nova?" Spider-man asked.

"I found Iron Fist's communicator," he said "it's stuck to a wall in an alley by symbiote goo."

I slammed my head into a brick wall, "And he's smart too."

"We'll find him." Lioness said into my communicator.

"With our luck, he'll find us." I said.

"Did anyone check Central Park?" Spider-man asked suddenly.

One at a time, everyone said yes.

"What about the tunnels?" Spider-man asked.

Everyone said yes.

"The bridges?"

"YES!"

I had a thought, "The churches?"

There was a pause, and then everyone answered "No."

"Why would he be in a church?" Lioness asked.

Spider-man caught on, "He wants the quiet to meditate."

Mumbling was heard through the communicators.

"Why didn't anyone search the churches in the first place?" Spider-man asked.

"I thought that he wouldn't be in any church because of the bells." Nova said.

"…Unless it's an abandoned church." Spider-man said as he snapped his fingers.

I laughed a bit, "Why are we just thinking about this now?"

"Because we put Nova in charge of searching the abandoned buildings." Spider-man said.

"Sure," Nova said "blame it all on me."

"Just search the churches." Spider-man ordered.

"Alright, jeeze." Nova said under his breath as he zoomed off in a lawnmower pattern.

"How long will this take?" Lioness asked.

"A few hours," I said "maybe days."

"Found one." Nova said through his communicator.

"Or not." I said shrugging.

"Where is he?" Spider-man asked Nova through his communicator.

"I don't know." he replied.

"Call when you actually find him." Spider-man face-palmed himself so hard I heard his wrist pop.

"The abandoned church that I'm at has burning candles," he said in a smart-alecky tone "last time I checked condemned churches don't leave their candles burning… that's how they get condemned."

"Alright." Spider-man said hanging up on Nova.

We walked the ten blocks to the church Nova mentioned… WALKED!

Nova floated in front of the church doors, "While you guys were walking, I came up with a plan. We will…" he was cut off when I pushed him out of the way.

"I have my own plan with Spider-man." I said opening the doors.

The church was lit creepily with candles lit next to every seat. I turned around and used my night vision to check every dark corner. I faced the altar, and he was waiting.

"You're good at the whole 'hide in plain sight' thing." I said.

The Venomized Iron Fist stood in front of me with his fists glowing. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind, and then I got into the tiger fighting stance. He launched himself at me in a spinning kick, but I caught his leg and, in one fluent motion, threw him to the ground behind me.

"The symbiote has unbalanced you," I said returning to my stance "let it go."

"The symbiote has made me perfect," he punched me in the jaw in a Shoryuken motion, making me stumble backward; "it is you who is flawed."

When I looked back at him, he was charging a yellow ball of energy, and then he fired at me. I dodged the blast, but the ball of energy destroyed the altar behind me.

"Note to self:" I said "get Iron Fist to stop playing Street Fighter."

"You fight in the form of the tiger," the evil Iron Fist said with a grin "all attack, no defense."

"All strength, no control." I said getting into my stance.

He shrieked and charged at me. I grabbed his wrists before his fists made contact.

"You lack focus," I said "you need to keep your eyes open to anticipate the final blow."

"What are you talking about?" He asked before a syringe injected him with the anti-venom.

"The normal Iron Fist wouldn't have fallen for that." Spider-man said throwing the syringe on the ground.

The symbiote melted off of his body and did not move. Spider-man shot some sort of cable at the symbiote, which sucked it into a test tube like a straw.

"Another symbiote busted." Spider-man said before White Tiger thumped him from behind.

"You just _had_ to go there, didn't you?" She asked.

"Power-man." I said.

"Yeah?" he turned to look at me.

I pulled an orange vile from my coat, "This is a sample of the Hobgoblin serum that I saved before we destroyed the underground laboratory. You need to give this to Doctor Connors so he can synthesize a cure. And for the love of God, tell Iron Fist to stop playing Street Fighter."

He grabbed the vile, "Can do."

Power man picked up Iron Fist and they went outside, where the Helicarrier beamed them up.

Spider-man turned toward the group "Now we need to get to the Helicarrier to try and find…" a small black ball entered through a nearby window and cut him off. It began to glow orange.

"PUMPKIN BOMB!" Spider-man yelled ducking for cover.

An orange light filled the room ad an explosion rocked the foundation of the abandoned church. A horrible cackle could be heard through the smoke. The flapping of wings came afterward, and then… the Hobgoblin emerged.

"Spider-man… and others," he didn't even have the courtesy to speak our names… now that's evil "you have ruined my supply of Hobgoblin serum. No matter: I have infected enough people to challenge my father, but now you must be ended."

A green explosion appeared from behind us. (On a side note, this building was condemned anyway. We destroyed a building that was going to be destroyed anyway, which saves tax-payer dollars. You're welcome.) Out of the hole in the wall came the Goblin.

"I will be the one to end Spider-man," he yelled "not you!"

"Is it too late to escape?" I asked.

Goblin's missiles under his glider beeped repeatedly, and were followed by one solid beep.

Lioness stood up, "It's too late."

The missiles sparked to life and launched.

**What up peeps? First off, I would like to thank bloodywitch136917, chris1233455, gh152 the 2nd, latinoheat151, TheOnyxDragon12, Swimchickvic, and toprichie97 for favoriting and following my story. It is people like you that make this website more than just a website, you people are my family *trying not to cry*. And I would like some help: in the next chapter, which will probably be the climax chapter, will involve the team fighting the Goblin, his minions, the Hobgoblin, and any minions he infected before his supply was destroyed… it will be a brawl of the century. My question is: what do the people want in this chapter? You people can PM me or post in the review box, either way, I will get messages in my inbox. The chapter itself might take a few weeks, but I'll update you weekly, like I've been posting. I love you all, my brothers and sisters. Keep your pencils/pens writing, and keep your fingers typing. PEACE!**


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